When an email shows up asking for your opinion on something, many times the first instinct is to hit the DELETE button and get on with your day.

Glad I didn’t do that.

About six months ago, Martec Exec contacted me about an expert round up piece they were putting together. The subject: establishing influencer relationships. I was intrigued…because it was an article that I would actually like to read.

I did a little thinking about how I have connected with influencers and came to one conclusion: help, help, help before you ask.

(here’s a screenshot of the slide…and a link to the full report)

My takeaway from reading everyone’s responses?

The experts all agree that you need to build a relationship out of a genuine respect and wish to help before you can ever expect to really connect.

Sounds just like my kid’s kindergarten teacher (shout out to Kathy Mulligan – Cunningham School in Milton MA): be nice, be kind, be a friend.

My vote for the most creative approach?

Bill Schick approached an influencer about a bulk buy of a book the influencer had written. He genuinely admired the book and wrote and Tweeted about it.

The influencers response: he sent a box of books free for Schick to distribute – including an autographed copy for Schick’s library.

Read the report – build a relationship

I highly recommend the report – it’s a 5-10 minute read. You will definitely take away two things:

• It’s possible to connect with (almost) any influencer if you approach from an attitude of giving and respect.
• You need to build a relationship the same way you build a friendship – one small act of kindness at a time, seasoned with a lack of expectation of reciprocity.

Click here to read the report